I allready posted this in the martial arts talk forum, but they told me to put it here... so... I really want a purpleheart wooden tanto, but I cannot find one anywhere. I know where to get the wood, but can someone please help me find some sort of guide to making a wooden training tanto? I know it's really simple and all, but my woodworking skills aren't all that great and I don't want to screw up a good peice of wood. Thanks in advance to anyone willing to help

The best advice I can give you is to get a sharp knife and start whittling. Getting the shape you want is easy enough, just don't make it so thin that it's fragile. Also, start with something cheap, a 2x4 in the backyard or something. Don't start with the expensive woods.

When you're done with the shape, go through the standard finishing procedure, (60 grit sandpaper, lacquer, 100 grit sandpaper, lacquer, 200 grit sandpaper, etc) Do this as high as you want to to get the level of smoothness/grip that you desire.